Is the Quantity-Quality Trade-Off a Trade-Off for All, None, or Some?

Although the theoretical trade-off between the quantity and quality of children is well established, empirical evidence supporting such a causal relationship—particularly on child health—is limited. We use two measures of child health to assess the quantity-quality trade-off across the entire distribution. Using data from the Indonesia Family Life Survey and controlling for the potential endogeneity of child quantity, we find modest, statistically meaningful evidence of a causal trade-off.